Easter Sunday 2009

Lord of the Dance
words by Sydney Carter, music traditional

I danced in the morning when the world was begun
I danced in the Moon & the Stars & the Sun
I came down from Heaven & I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth:

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

I danced for the scribe & the pharisee
But they would not dance & they wouldn't follow me
I danced for fishermen, for James & John
They came with me & the Dance went on:

I danced on the Sabbath & I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame!
They whipped & they stripped & they hung me high
And they left me there on a cross to die!

I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body & they thought I'd gone
But I am the Dance & I still go on!

They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the Life that'll never, never die!
I'll live in you if you'll live in Me -
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!

What to Do Between Good Friday and Easter Sunday

Depth of Mercy
Words: Charles Wesley, 1740
Music: Adapt. from Orlando Gibbons, 1623

1.
Depth of mercy! Can there be
mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God his wrath forbear,
me, the chief of sinners, spare?

2.
I have long withstood his grace,
long provoked him to his face,
would not hearken to his calls,
grieved him by a thousand falls.

3.
I my Master have denied,
I afresh have crucified,
oft profaned his hallowed name,
put him to an open shame.

4.
There for me the Savior stands,
shows his wounds and spreads his hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.

5.
Now incline me to repent,
let me now my sins lament,
now my foul revolt deplore,
weep, believe, and sin no more.

The Messiah Dies

`Tis Finished! The Messiah Dies
Words: Charles Wesley, 1762 (Jn. 19:30)
Music: William B. Bradbury, 1853

1.
'Tis finished! the Messiah dies,
cut off for sins, but not his own.
Accomplished is the sacrifice,
the great redeeming work is done.

2.
The veil is rent; in Christ alone
the living way to heaven is seen;
the middle wall is broken down,
and all the world may enter in.

3.
'Tis finished! All my guilt and pain,
I want no sacrifice beside;
for me, for me the Lamb is slain;
'tis finished! I am justified.

4.
The reign of sin and death is o'er,
and all may live from sin set free;
Satan hath lost his mortal power;
'tis swallowed up in victory.

Maundy Thursday

Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast
Words: Charles Wesley, 1747 (Lk. 14:16-24)
Music: Katholisches Gesangbuch, ca. 1774; adapt. from Metrical Psalter, 1855

1.
Come, sinners, to the gospel feast,
let every soul be Jesus' guest.
Ye need not one be left behind,
for God hath bid all humankind.

2.
Do not begin to make excuse;
ah! do not you his grace refuse;
your worldly cares and pleasures
leave, and take what Jesus hath to give.

3.
Come and partake the gospel feast,
be saved from sin, in Jesus rest;
O taste the goodness of our God,
and eat his flesh and drink his blood.

4.
See him set forth before your eyes;
behold the bleeding sacrifice;
his offered love make haste to embrace,
and freely now be saved by grace.

5.
Ye who believe his record true
shall sup with him and he with you;
come to the feast, be saved from sin,
for Jesus waits to take you in.

Change of Pace-- Welcome to Our Local Golf Tournament

I know, I know. In most of the world this week, at least from a Christian view, the only correct thing to talk about would be Holy Week and the final days before Easter.

But, as with any week, there are other things going on in life-- especially in Augusta, Georgia, USA.

This first full week of April is all about the The Masters golf tournament locally. Perhaps you have heard of this international golf event?! It is a tremendous event in terms of exceptional golf play, tradition and history, and a destination experience for people from all over the world who love golf. All of this converges on the Augusta National just off of I-20, Washington Road, and then Berckmans Road which fronts the entry gates into the National.

So, the world arrives in Augusta while huge numbers of our locals leave for Spring Break.

I could give you lots of local talk about The Masters, but for the time being enjoy the following link from a local sports writer who has covered the event for over 20 years. He's got a great view of the course which you will enjoy if you've visited before and which you will appreciate in anticipation of the live TV coverage this weekend.

Don't forget the other happenings of the week, but enjoy a few minutes diversion here in Augusta.

The Masters Walking Tour

Passover Seder

I don't generally use Wikipedia as a primary information source, but sometimes they offer a concise detailed explanation. Today is Passover, and you'll find the story and the Seder practice might awaken new thoughts and experiences for your Holy Week and Easter.

Here are a few teasers from the link:

"The rituals and symbolic foods associated with the Seder evoke the twin themes of the evening: slavery and freedom."

"The Four Cups represent the four expressions of deliverance promised by God in Exodus 6:6-7: 'I will bring out,' 'I will deliver,' 'I will redeem,' and 'I will take.'"

"Why is this night different from all other nights?"

Part of the song/recitation: "I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy."

And we cried unto the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders... Deuteronomy 26

Passover Seder

Honeysuckle Sin and Easter

The days leading up to Easter travel directly through the crucifixion of Jesus, even though it's very easy and even tempting (either by omission or commission), to take a detour around that part of the story. Now I'm not talking Mel Gibson "The Passion" sort of reflection (read what the Gospels say about this and notice the emphasis and balance in those stories). I do want to get to Easter after all! It's just that I've become aware that I might too glibly, too quickly jump to the end of the story before experiencing a necessary part of the story that is essential to the drama.

I've realized that I'd prefer to be busy with Easter activities and not reflect on the story. Strange isn't it, how we'd just as soon not deal with THAT part of the story. The pain is too much. The blood is too much. And the sin is too much. But it's a necessary path if we are to enjoy the true power and potential of Easter.

A few years ago I had a problem I'd too long overlooked. The first impression, and general appearance, was that all was well. I'd taken care of everything, attended to business as I needed to, and seemed like everyone else. But by making a small exception, not thinking there would be a consequence, life soon got out of hand. This didn't happen all at once as it was subtle with few perceptible, immediate changes.

Our home landscape sloped toward a creek, and we had a nice variety of southern trees and shrubs. In the front yard, directly in front of the house, we had a few trees and a cluster of azaleas. If you don't know what azaleas are then check out the Masters golf tournament this week and notice the shrubs that are 3-4 feet tall with the show of early spring flowers. Azaleas produce multiple trunks that create a beautiful plant which produces green leaves early, and then surprises with tremendous numbers of pink or red or white flowers which overwhelm the view around late March and early April. It's a southern favorite which gets lots of attention with our local golf tournament.

One year saw a honeysuckle grow up in the azalea planting where we had at least 10 azaleas. I'm not sure where it came from, not sure why it chose that location, but it was there. But this was not a problem since my children enjoyed the honeysuckle. It wasn’t a big deal, just one cute vine, so we let it go through the spring, and then the summer. Before you knew it a year had rolled around.

The problem came the following January with an early Georgia spring week with temperatures in the low 70’s. The honeysuckle thought it was spring, and leafed out after a few days. It proved a stark contrast between everything else that seemed to be "winter dead" and the honeysuckle which appeared to be a huge green monster consuming everything in its path! It was at this point that we realized we had 3 dead azaleas, and a serious problem with the honeysuckle vine that would now be a greater challenge to control.

As we we tried to pry the honeysuckle vines from the azalea trunks we learned far too much of the invasive growth. Its habit is to wrap itself around existing branches so that the old plant offers the framework from which the attacker to create a new kingdom. The twisting, curling, redefining growth uses the old plant as a skeleton and framework which allows one plant, then two, then more to be absorbed. So, at numerous points the honeysuckle had come up in the azalea plants. At the main trunk of the honeysuckle it would separate into 4 trunks which sent out vines all over the azalea. It then choked the life out of the shrub as it invaded the territory, took over with aggressive fast growing vines, and then took complete control.

We don't tend to think of sin that way. We usually think of "sins" as a moral lapse, a breach of socially acceptable behavior, or more likely of someone getting caught doing something we didn't think "they had it in them" to do. As a matter of fact, I'm much more comfortable saying "we" and thinking about "you" than making this a personal matter and confessing that I don't tend to think about my sin.

But like it or not Holy Week asks us to consider our sin. Am I innocent of the blood of Jesus? Is the death of Jesus my responsibility? Do my words or actions betray and mock Jesus? Do I pretend to pay Christ homage, or merely do that in superficial ways? Do I know the forgiveness of God that comes through Jesus Christ?

Still, we desparately need and sometimes confess "I believe... in the forgiveness of sins" even my sins.

We are confronted with God's response to the problem... to our problem... to my problem. This week we consider our part in the ongoing drama of redemption, and wait on the resurrection of Easter. Just beware that innocent looking vine that looks so pretty on a spring day.

Pictures of God

It's Masters Week here in Augusta, Georgia. That means the world has gathered in town to enjoy a premiere golfing event, and many of the locals have left town! In terms of church it makes for a very different sort of Holy Week as the Masters impact is felt by us. I find that much of my experience of faith is lived out and understood in a community of faith. When there are significant changes in the community it's strange how it affects me and my experience of faith. But there are some constants even when life is in flux. During this Holy Week the following link will be in my mind as the story of Jesus and my story intersect.

Pictures of God

United Methodist Deacons Aren't Pastors??

Did you see the info out of the recent United Methodist General Board of Higher Education Ministries meeting? The main topics that got my attention relates to a recent survey result and a comment as part of the article.

See Deacon which speaks to a high degree of deacon job satisfaction. This mirrors what I know from other colleagues who enjoy their specialized calling and the opportunity to devote their lives to that ministry in service to the church and world.

Many folk know that deacons in the United Methodist context are a more recent development since 1996. So, in many respects this order of clergy is an odd mix of specialized ministers, e.g. youth ministers, music ministers, or other emphasis on discipleship, women, prayer, etc. which is in contrast to the more general ministry of an "elder" or pastor in charge. Some of us who serve as deacons (this is my order and calling) have emphasis in mission which may either be in the local church ministry or in some other context which connects Church and World.

Here's the section of the article I want to examine more closely:

"The Rev. Anita Wood, director of Professional Development, said she was surprised to find that 21 percent of deacons who were appointed in the local church selected the title of associate pastor in the survey. 'Deacons are not pastors and that indicates that we have some work to do in communicating the role of the deacon in connecting the church and the world,' she said."

While I'm not too surprised I think the clearer distinction is that we are not elders, i.e. pastors in charge. As a mission pastor in a large church I think I serve in the perfect situation to connect Word and Service (the work of a deacon). I'd imagine most others who are called to specialized ministry would express similar sentiments whether they are called associate pastor or something else.

In a practical way if a deacon has other responsibilities in a local ministry that makes them indispensable, such as an associate pastor, we strengthen our ministries and we strengthen the local ministry. So, when our church cut a program staff position in January I could add evangelism to my existing work of mission and campus ministry, and had the experience and background to absorb this ministry and advance it. In all this I'm speaking very practically and from my experience. As deacons we are still responsive to the needs of the church/Church in the local ministry context where we serve. So while we may have a calling and skill set which is more specific than an elder, I think we are also gifted and flexible to meet the needs of the Church.

I could write more about my understanding of deacon ministry and order from perspectives of the Book of Discipline, Methodist doctrine, scriptural relevance, or practical life in the church, but I'll save that for another time. I believe that the deacon ministry offers great opportunity to help a local church be in ministry, and under the supervision of an elder, district superintendent, and bishop we should allow latitude in how the order continues to advance to connect the church and the world.

What is your experience and thinking about this? Are deacons pastors or not?? As an order that is still evolving and defining itself I think this is an important conversation and value your thoughts and experiences.

The Methodist Way

I stumbled upon a 20 minute overview of Methodism that is well worth your time. The General Board of Discipleship, Randy Maddox, the Council of Bishops, and Steve Manskar collaborated on the effort. You will find this so useful you'll want to share it in your church, Sunday School class, study group, etc. I'd especially encourage you to send the link to your pastor or staff as they will find much of use regarding Methodist history & doctrine as well as application for the current work and ministry of the local church.

Methodist Way